Cory Monteith, who played the football-hero turned singing heartthrob Finn Hudson in the Fox hit show "Glee," was found dead in his Vancouver, British Columbia, hotel room this weekend, authorities said. He was 31.

The actor had checked into Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel on July 6 and was scheduled to check out Saturday, according to police.

When he did not check out, the hotel staff went to his hotel room and found his body.

Vancouver Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said the actor had been dead for several hours when his body was discovered.

"Mr. Monteith was found deceased in his room at approximately noon today," Lapointe said at a news conference late Saturday.

"We are in shock and mourning this tragic loss," a representative for the actor said in a statement to ABC News.

GLEE Executive Producers, 20th Century Fox Television and FOX Broadcasting Company posted the following statement on the "Glee" Facebook page:

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic news. Cory was an exceptional talent and an even more exceptional person. He was a true joy to work with and we will all miss him tremendously. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones," the statement said.

On-screen and off, Monteith dated "Glee" co-star Lea Michele, who played Rachel Berry on the show.

"We ask that everyone kindly respect Lea's privacy during this devastating time," a representative for Michele's representative said in a statement today.

Monteith has played "Glee" character Finn Hudson since the show debuted in 2009.

His first real break was a recurring part on the teen sci-fi show "Kyle XY." He also made guest appearances on several other tv shows including "Smallville," "Stargate" and "Interns."

Monteith was born in Calgary, Alberta, and later moved to Vancouver Island, according to his bio on the "Glee" website.

Struggle With Drugs

Like the character he played on "Glee," Monteith looked like the all-American boy next door who was always smiling.

But the actor dealt with serious issues throughout his life, including drug abuse, something he had always been open about.

He said his life-long battle with substance abuse started with drugs at the age of 13.

In April, his rep told ABC News that he had checked into rehab.

Lea Michele told People magazine at the time, "I love and support Cory and will stand by him through this."

In a 2011 interview with Parade magazine, Montieth said he got treatment at 19 for his addiction struggles that included taking "anything and everything." He told Parade that he was "lucky to be alive."

He said he hoped that others would learn from his experiences.

"If I can, through my experience, shed light on the way out of a difficult situation I know many kids are experiencing, you know, just like I did when I was a teenager, I mean, that's huge," Monteith said on the Canadian TV show "George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight" in 2011.

Reaction to Monteith's Death

Twitter has been flooded with an outpouring of support and love for the late star.

Just minutes after police confirmed Monteith's death, Mark Salling, who plays Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the show, simply tweeted, "no." That tweet was later deleted, but not before being retweeted thousands of times.

Dot Jones, who plays Coach Beiste on the show, tweeted, "I HAVE NO WORDS! MY HEART IS BROKEN CORY WAS NOT ONLY A HELL OF A FRIEND HE WAS ONE AMAZING MEN THAT I WILL HOLD CLOSE TO MY HEART FOREVER."